Washington Firm Fined After Worker Crushed by Excavator Bucket
State inspectors say a preventable equipment failure and multiple safety lapses led to more than $170,000 in fines and placed Rotschy Inc. on Washington’s Severe Violator list.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Dec 04, 2025
A construction company in southwest Washington faces more than $170,000 in state fines after a 3,000-pound excavator bucket detached from an excavator arm and crushed a worker inside a trench, injuring him twice before he was rescued.
According to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, the Rotschy Inc. employee was inside a trench box giving hand signals to an excavator operator when the bucket fell, crushing the lower half of his body. As the operator attempted to lift the bucket using the excavator’s hydraulic arm, it slipped again, causing a second crush injury. Firefighters freed the worker, who was hospitalized for more than a month with severe injuries.
Missing safety latches identified as key failure
L&I’s investigation found that two excavators on the jobsite, including the one involved in the incident, were equipped with quick couplers—devices that allow operators to switch attachments without leaving the cab. Both couplers were missing a required safety latch intended to prevent buckets from falling if an operator makes an error or if equipment fails.
“Quick couplers are standard in the industry, but removing the safety latch from them certainly isn’t,” said Craig Blackwood, assistant director of L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. “This young man’s life will be forever impacted by this incident that was entirely preventable.”
Supervisors informed inspectors that they were aware the safety latches were missing, and a Rotschy maintenance employee had reported seeing couplers without latches over the past year. When the company inspected all of its excavators after the incident, 13 were found to be missing the required latches.
Additional violations found at excavation site
Investigators also documented other hazards on the Woodland site. There was no walkway for workers to cross the trench safely, and the site supervisor was allowing employees to jump across the 10-foot-deep opening. L&I also found no cave-in protection around an upright sewer manhole located within the trench.
Rotschy was cited for two willful serious, two repeat serious, and two serious violations totaling $170,136. The company is being added to the state’s Severe Violator list, subjecting it to increased oversight.
During the initial response, an inspector also raised concerns about potential confined space hazards. A concurrent inspection resulted in an additional $13,770 in fines issued Nov. 10 for five serious confined space violations tied to the sewer manhole.
L&I classifies violations as serious when they could directly lead to severe injury or death, and as willful when an employer knew or should have known the rules but failed to follow them.
Rotschy is appealing all citations and penalties. Fine revenue is directed to the state’s workers’ compensation supplemental pension fund, which supports injured workers and the families of those killed on the job.
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco is the Content Editor for OH&S.